Rebellion of the Heart
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: A night of celebration quickly turns to a night of terror that puts Zuko and Katara on the run from a dangerous rebel army. Now it's up to them to defeat this new enemy while both staying alive...and dealing with the rebellion of love in their own hearts.
1. Reunion

**After a long bit of writer's block, I FINALLY got some inspiration for a fic. And it has the potential to be pretty damn epic. So here's **_**Rebellion of the Heart**_**. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

The Fire Lord's palace buzzed with the eager hustle and bustle of preparations for the ball that night. A ball that would celebrate the 10th anniversary of the end of Sozin's 100 year long war and the end of Fire Lord Ozai's reign.

But within the joyful atmosphere of the palace walls, a heated discussion was taking in the Fire Lord's conference room.

"Fire Lord Zuko, it would be in your best interest to not attend tonight's festivities," argued an admiral.

"The death threats have been increasing," said another high- ranking official, "And now there's rumors of these Anti-Benders-"

"We go through this every year," Zuko said exasperatedly, "And how would it look for the Fire Lord to miss such an important event. I would be deemed a coward. The attacks and threats would double." A buzz of conversation lulled over the room.

"I would think you would all learn by now," Zuko said, "I will not back down. I will not hide. Good day to you all." Zuko stood up and walked out of the room, his heavy, red robes billowing behind him.

As he walked out the doors, Mai waited for him, leaning against the opposite wall.

"You look bothered," Mai said, walking over to give Zuko a light peck on the lips, "They're still trying to be you babysitter?"

"They won't let it drop," Zuko said.

"They're just concerned for you," Mai said, looping her arm through Zuko's as they walked down the corridor, "If it makes you feel any better, the Avatar and his friends just arrived a few minutes ago." Mai gave a small smile as she watched Zuko's own smile grace his face.

"It's been a while since we've seen them," Zuko said.

"Toph is pregnant," Mai said, chuckling at the thought of the hormonal earthbender "Sokka is ecstatic about it. And Aang and Katara are on again…I think…I swear those two go on and off more than a flickering candle." Zuko chuckled.

"Aang did find a new breed of air bison though," Mai said, "At the Western Air Temple. He has a friend watching over them. Guru Pathik I think he said his name was."

"He must be happy," Zuko said.

"Ecstatic," Mai said, "He gave each one a name – spirits know how he tells them all apart – and he's hoping that if there's more air bison, there may be more flying lemurs too." Mai opened the door as they finally reached the room everyone was waiting in.

Zuko felt his smile widen seeing his old friends. Toph and Sokka sat on a couch near a bookshelf, Toph hungrily eating a plate of Komodo chicken. Aang sat on a chair, feeding a treat to Momo while Katara sat on the arm of the chair, seeming to stare off into space. She was the first to turn and see Zuko.

"Zuko!" she said, hoping to her feet and running over to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"It's about time you got here!" Katara said, also hugging Mai, "We've been waiting for you. Mai, you said he'd be done an hour ago." Katara smacked Mai's arm playfully. The two had formed a sort of friendship over the years.

"Well Zuko wanted to be hard-headed and argue," Mai said, "Personally, I would just leave if I was him."

"Officials being a pain again?" Toph asked.

"As ever," Zuko said, looking over everyone. It had been several years since they've seen each other. Aang and Katara had been traveling, attempting to bring help to towns and villages who had been damaged during the war, stopping the occasional rebellion.

Toph and Sokka had actually been staying in Ba Sing Se, helping out Iroh with fixing the city where the Dai Lee had damaged it – cleaning up and improving the poorer areas, getting rid of the Dai Lee and making sure any more headquarters they may have had were destroyed.

Toph's hair was cut into a short, pixie cut and, aside from her pregnant stomach, she had lost most of her 12 year old baby fat and was slim but toned. Sokka was starting to resemble his father, growing in a beard and mustache, slightly more muscular than before where he had been tall and gangly.

Aang probably was the one that most resembled his younger self, his face still holding his boyish features, despite having a major growth spurt so that now he was almost as tall as Zuko.

Zuko let his eyes land on Katara last and did his best not to stare. Katara had always been beautiful, that was no doubt. She was known among the four nations for it – the Avatar's beautiful waterbending girlfriend. Like a fine wine, she seemed more beautiful as time passed. Her face was more narrow now, her wide eyes with a slight slant, almost like a cat. Her body had filled out in all the right places so that Zuko had to rip his eyes away from how her body looked her blue water tribe robes.

"You guys were finally able to make it!" Zuko said. For the past three years, none of them had been able to attend the ball for the anniversary because of their own busy schedules.

"Well Sokka barley lets me have any fun anymore with this," Toph said with a sigh, gesturing to her swollen belly, "So there was no way I was missing a chance to see a few drunken old fools."

"You have to think of the baby," Sokka said. Toph just rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

"And we missed you!" Aang said with a grin.

"You guys better get ready," Mai said, looking out the window, "The sun is setting, the ball will start soon."

"Keep an eye on Toph though," Katara whispered, "She's been…moody lately."

"I can hear you!" Toph shouted. Mai chuckled.

"Well maybe Toph can shake up the party a little," Mai said, "They're always so dry and dull." Toph grinned, saying, "I have no problem with that."

Later that night, Zuko walked through the halls of the palace, shifting uncomfortably in his heavy, royal red and gold robes. He had just passed a room when he heard a crash inside and a familiar voice shouting, "Ouch! Stupid dress…"

"Katara," Zuko said, knocking on the door, "Are you okay?"

"Sort of," Katara's voice chimed from the other side of the dog, "I'm having a bit of a battle with the bow on this dress…and the bow is winning. Help please? I can't find a servant and the ball is about to begin." Zuko cracked open the door slightly, greeted by the sight of Katara's smooth, tan back and her hands desperately trying to reach the bow in back of her dress. It was quite a funny sight to see.

"I've got it," Zuko chuckled, walking over to her. Katara stood in front of a mirror as Zuko tied the bow the back of her robes. She was dressed in form fitting, blue, royal Water Tribe robes trimmed with a shimmering royal blue and the bottom decorated with waves in various shades of blue. Usually, the inside of the robes would be lines with fur to stay warm in the cold, Southern Water Tribe weather, but Katara got the dress specially made without fur because of the heat of the Fire Nation. The dress fell gracefully over the curves of her body. Her hair fell in graceful waves over her left shoulder and her mother's necklace still adorned her neck.

"Aang still didn't replace that with his own yet?" Zuko teased, tapping the blue silk ribbon of the necklace. A frown crossed Katara's red painted lips and Zuko immediately knew he had said the something wrong.

"What did Aang do now?" Zuko asked, used by now to Aang and Katara's on-off relationship.

"It's fine," Katara said, smoothing down a stray hair. She looked at Zuko's reflection in the mirror. His hair had grown down to his shoulders, some of it tied up in a topknot, and he was now sporting a goatee and mustache.

"Katara, I know you," Zuko said, "You're my best friend." Katara sighed, shutting her eyes shut for a moment, then opening them again.

"I'm just going through some stuff," Katara said, "Thinking."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zuko asked. Katara shook her head.

"Not now," she said, "Not tonight. Tonight's a night for celebration." She smiled, but Zuko noticed how forced it seemed. But he knew that Katara would talk when she was ready.

"Come on," she said, playfully tugging at the color of his robes, "Your public is waiting for you, Fire Lord Zuko."

**There's chapter 1! I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	2. The Attack

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 2! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Zuko and Katara slipped inconspicuously into the ballroom, the party already in full swing.

"I'm going to go find Aang," Katara said, giving Zuko a quick hug before disappearing into the crowd. Second later, Mai was at Zuko's side.

"Took you long enough," Mai said, "I thought you had skipped."

"Katara needed some help with something," Zuko said, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, but Mai didn't seem to notice.

"I'm glad they came," Mai said, chuckling softly, "You missed Toph kick Admiral Zoh in the shin." Zuko laughed, spotting the pregnant earthbender dancing with Sokka.

"Let's dance," Zuko said, taking Mai's hand and leading her onto the dance floor.

The ball was – for the first time in a while – enjoyable. Mai was right that having Aang and the others made the ball more enjoyable. They talked, catching up on what had happened in the past years apart.

Aang had been telling a story about his and Katara's last visit to the Northern Water Tribe and how Katara had inspired them to change their laws against women when it happened.

Clearly frazzled, an admiral burst through the doors and shouted a simple statement that caused chaos.

"THE REBELS ARE HERE!"

All hell broke loose. The ballroom turned into a scene of panic and terror, especially when the rebels stormed into the ballroom and started attacking. Zuko frantically looked around for Aang and the others, who had disappeared in the chaos of screams, bodies and blood.

A hand grabbed his arm and Zuko spun around to see Katara, her eyes wide with horror.

"We have to find the others!" she shouted over the noise. Zuko was prepared to follow her until a strong hand gripped his other arm and tugged him away. Zuko kept his grip on Katara as he was dragged through the madness of the fighting. He looked up and noticed Admiral Zoh was the one holding onto him, leading him to the back of the ballroom. He tugged on a torch and part of the wall slid out of place, revealing a tunnel which Zoh tugged Zuko and Katara through.

"What's going on?" Katara shouted, "Where are the others? We have to go back and find them!"

"Those were the Anti-Benders that just attacked," Zoh said, "They had infiltrated the palace in greater numbers than we anticipated. Lady Mai is safe my Lord, but I'm afraid the Avatar and his friends have been captured." Zuko's heart dropped and he felt Katara's hand slip from his arm as she froze in place.

"No," Katara whispered, her eyes wide with horror.

"Lady Katara, we must keep going, they could be following us-" Zoh started to say.

"We have to go save them!" Katara shouted, "Toph is pregnant! How in the world can the Anti-Benders even pull off something like kidnapping them?"

"We are investigating that now, but me _must _keep going," Zoh said. Zuko walked over to Katara, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Katara, we'll get them back," Zuko said, "But we are of no use to them if we are captured ourselves." Katara bit her bottom lip, and then let out a long sigh, following Zoh through the tunnel.

They eventually reached what seemed like a dead end until Zoh bent fire through a stone in the wall and a door slid open into a small room containing a few admirals and generals.

"The food was poisoned," said a young general, "To block bending. The rebels obviously had someone, maybe even more than one person, in the palace on their side."

"That explains how they bought us down so easily," Admiral Zoh said, "Is there any information on the Avatar and his friends?"

"They were clearly the target," another Admiral said, "They were taken so quickly."

"We need to save them," Katara said, stepping forward.

"And we will," Zoh said, "But you and Zuko must remain safe."

"So you expect me to do nothing?" Katara snapped.

"We expect you to stay safe," Zoh said ominously, "Even if it means doing nothing."

"No," Zuko said, his voice low, "My friends are in danger…there's no way in hell I'm staying here safe while they may very well die any second." Zuko's eyes scanned the room, landing on one of the high-ranking officials.

"Kizo," Zuko said and the man looked up from some papers he had been looking over.

"Given my untimely death, my uncle would be next in line for Fire Lord, right?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," Kizo said, nodding.

"My Lord, you surely don't mean…" Zoh said.

"Katara and I are going to find the others," Zuko said, his voice crisp and commanding, "Through messenger hawk, all of you will keep us informed on any information you receive."

"My Lord, you can't," Zoh said. Zuko's gold eyes snapped onto Zoh, his mouth set in a tight line.

"I am your Fire Lord," Zuko said in a low, threatening voice, taking a step toward Zoh, "Are you giving your Fire Lord an order?" Zoh's face visibly paled and he swallowed hard.

"No my Lord," Zoh said.

"I thought so," Zuko said, "Come Katara." Katara followed Zuko out of the room, through another set of tunnels.

"How do you know your way through here?" Katara asked.

"This place has been here of years," Zuko said, "A safe place for the Fire Lord and his family in the even of an event such as a rebellion." There was silence for a second and then Katara said, her voice soft, "Do you think they're still alive?" Zuko turned around to face her. Katara was looking down at the ground and Zuko could swear he saw tears shimmer in her eyes. He put a hand under her chin, tilting her head up so that she looked into his eyes.

"I'm sure of it Katara," Zuko said, "They way these rebels work, especially what I've heard about the Anti-Benders…they go for the dramatics. It makes more sense that they would capture Aang and others. Toy with them before…" Zuko's sentence trailed off, but Katara knew what he meant and nodded. Her hand instinctively went to touch her mother's necklace, a habit Zuko notice Katara had. She would do it whenever she felt troubled. He was about to reassure her when a shout pierced the eerie silence in the tunnels, shouting the same words they had heard mere minutes ago.

"THE REBELS ARE HERE!"

Zuko cursed under his breath and it wasn't long before the sounds of a fight reached their ears.

"We have to leave," Zuko said, grabbing Katara's hand. And they ran, not looking back.

**So there's chapter 2! I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	3. The Safe House

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 3! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

They could hear the fighting as they ran through the tunnels, sounds coming from all sides. It was impossible to tell just how close the rebels were, but they weren't going to stop to find out.

"This way," Zuko said, shoving a fire fist into the wall and the wall slid open, revealing an ascending staircase. The wall slid shut behind them, muffling the sounds of the fight as Zuko tugged Katara up the staircase.

Neither was sure of how long they were running. The sounds of the fight had long disappeared, but they didn't want risk slowing down.

Eventually, the stairs led up to a wooden door. Zuko pushed it open and light streamed into the dark space. Zuko helped her up, following behind her and closing the door.

"Where are we?" Katara asked. It looked like they were in a small house with only a sofa, a small bed in one corner and a small kitchen in the other. It was

"Fire Lord safe house," Zuko said, "Located in one of the poorest, most rural part of the Fire Nation. The last place anyone would think to look for the Fire Lord." Zuko walked over to the cabinets and opened them.

"At least there's food," he said, taking down a few containers and cans. Katara watched as Zuko moved expertly around the house. He opened the closet and pulled out a bag and clothes.

"Here," he said, tossing Katara a pile of clothes, and then putting the food he had found in the bag, "They're not much, but they'll keep us hidden." Katara glanced around and – had their situation not been so serious – Zuko may have chuckled.

"We'll turn around and change," Zuko said, turning to face the wall, "There's no other rooms here." He heard Katara give a small sigh and tried not to let his imagination wander as he heard Katara's robes hit the floor.

"Done," Katara said.

"Me too," Zuko said, turning back around. Katara was wearing a simple red shirt, black pants, and a dark red cloak over her shoulders. Zuko had changed into a red and gold tunic and dark red pants, a black cloak over his shoulders.

"You're hair," Katara said, taking off her mom's necklace and tucking it safely into her pocket. He reached up and touched his topknot, held in place by his Fire Lord headpiece.

"Oh yeah," he said, pulling the headpiece off. He lit a small flame in his hand and shot it at a wall, where a small door, barley the size of her palm, slid open.

"For valuables," Zuko said, placing the headpiece in, "I can put your mother's necklace in too if you want." Katara battled with herself for a second. She hated not having the necklace on her, but knew it would probably be safer here than with her.

"Sure," she said, handing Zuko the necklace. He tucked it in with the headpiece and shut the door.

"We should get moving," Zuko said.

"Wait," Katara said. Zuko turned to find her staring at him, her lips pursed.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Your scar," Katara said, "It's a dead giveaway to who you are." She looked around, her eyes landing on the black bow that had been tied around the robes she wore to the ball. She walked over, tearing a piece of the bow off, then walked back to Zuko and tied the piece around his head, covering his eyes.

"It's not much," Katara said, a slight frown on her lips, "But it's something." Katara pulled her own hood over her head.

"Do you know where we could even start?" she asked.

"From what I've heard, the Anti-Benders are mostly centralized in the Earth Kingdom," Zuko said, "It's a start."

"There's a lot of Earth Kingdom," Katara pointed out, "I suppose you don't have a spare water skin lying around." She hald-joked. Zuko chuckled.

"No," he said, "We'll find you something." He grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing Katara's hand. It was a simple, comforting gesture. Katara squeezed his hand, trying not to let her mind wander to the horrible things that could be happening to her friends.

She and Zuko would save them. They had too.

**There's chapter 3! I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	4. What Do We Do From Here?

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 4! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Zuko and Katara stopped by a small market to pick up a water skin for Katara. They both kept their hoods up, trying not to attract too much attention. Which was easier said than done, being in the Fire Nation. Katara was used to the smooth leather, large water skins of the Southern Water Tribe, decorated with the traditional Water Tribe designs. In the Fire Nation, everything seemed to be made of rough material and either red, gold or black. It took a while, but Katara eventually found a reasonable one, made of a rough material and black trimmed with small, gold, flames. Katara tied it with a brown leather cord around her waist.

"How do we get to the Earth Kingdom?" Katara whispered to Zuko as they walked through the cobblestone streets, "We don't have papers or anything." Zuko reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a few sheets of paper.

"Travel papers," Zuko said, "The council always has things prepared in case the Fire Lords is in trouble. Ways to travel, safe houses all over the world…"

"So you're pretty much set," Katara said.

"Except that the Anti-Benders got into the castle much to easily tonight," Zuko said, "There's someone on the inside that must have helped them in. And if there's one traitor, who's to say there aren't more." Katara nodded in agreement, biting her bottom lip nervously. How had such a festive night gone so horribly wrong?

"So what do we do?" she asked, and then suddenly, grabbed Zuko's arm in a vice grip.

"What?" Zuko asked, but her eyes told him everything. They were lit up in a way that let him know that she had an idea.

"Appa," she said. Zuko just shrugged.

"Appa!" Katara said, tugging on his arm like a child, "We rode him here! We can take him!"

"Katara's, he's a giant, furry animal," Zuko said, "Don't you think we should take something a bit more inconspicuous?" Katara's face fell and she sighed.

"You're right," she said.

"We can…sneak aboard a cargo ship?" Zuko suggested hesitantly. Katara looked at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"What?" Zuko said, shrugging his shoulders, "We can sneak onto a cargo ship heading to the earth kingdom. No one would suspect it at least."

"True…" Katara said, although Zuko could tell she was apprehensive about the idea.

"The docks aren't far," Zuko said slowly, watching the emotions on Katara's face change. Mostly worry.

"It's the last place anyone would think to look for us," she said, "If you're sure we can get on…"

"Don't you trust me?" Zuko asked with a slight grin. Katara couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face.

"Of course," she said. She looped her arm through Zuko's leaning into him as he started walking toward the docks.

**There's chapter 4! Sorry it was so short, I'll make the next longer! I hope you all liked it! Please Review!**


	5. Wait

**Thanks for the great reviews! Here's chapter 5! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

The docks were full of shouting sailors, loud merchants and the constant in and out of the ships.

"There," Zuko said, pointing to one of the bigger ships. From the mast swung an Earth Kingdom flag.

"Where in the Earth Kingdom is it heading?" Katara asked. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. She and Zuko had bought a little bit of food for the journey, not knowing when they would be able to stop and eat again.

"No idea," Zuko whispered as they passed a merchant on their way to the ship, "But it's a way there."

"How do we get on?" Katara murmured, leaning toward Zuko to be heard over a ship that was docking in. She watched Zuko's golden eyes scan the area, looking for something.

"Come," he said, grabbing Katara's hand and jogging through the crowded dock. Katara clutched onto Zuko's hand, not wanting to lose him in the mass of bodies.

Suddenly, the wood beneath their feet turned to metal and everything went dark. Katara's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she noticed boxes surrounding them.

"Zuko are we in a crate?" Katara asked, disbelief in her voice. She was answered with a sudden jolt that flung her into Zuko's body as the crate tipped.

"Zuko, I can't believe you did this," Katara hissed, her hands clutching onto his shirt as the crate swung while Zuko's arms were tight around her waist.

"You wanted a way on," Zuko said and Katara could almost hear the smug smirk in his voice. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the crate finally stilled with a loud _thud!_

"What do we do now?" Katara whispered.

"Wait," Zuko said softly, "Now we wait." He sat down against one of the metal walls and Katara followed suit. She was quite for several minutes and when Zuko looked over at her, he noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Katara," he whispered, touching her hand softly.

"Toph is pregnant," Katara murmured, "What if something happens to the baby? And I can't help but wonder what they're doing to Sokka and Aang too. What if we don't get there in time-"

"Stop talking like that," Zuko said sternly, grabbing her hand, "We'll make it in time." Katara gave a long shaky sigh.

"I hate this," she hissed, "Sitting here. It gives me too much time to think, my mind too much time to wander." Zuko just nodded in agreement. He couldn't disagree. The cart gave a slight jolt as the ship began to move.

"They probably want us too," Zuko said, "The Anti-Benders."

"What are they even about?" Katara asked, "Are they a rebellion group for Ozai?"

"Not exactly," Zuko said, "From what I know, they are a rebellion group. But they blame the benders for the war. They believe that it was the benders struggle for power that fueled the war. The Fire Nation wanting to be the strongest, the other nations fighting against it. It was the non-benders that suffered the most from the war. They had no way to fight back. In a way, they were second to benders. Ignored, forced to watch from the sidelines because they couldn't fight the way benders do. Anti-Benders are trying to bring more power to non-benders and, in the process…maybe even…" Zuko's sentence trailed off.

"What?" Katara asked, hooked onto Zuko's explanation.

"There have been reports…that the Anti-Benders want to wipe out all benders," Zuko said, "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, they won't discriminate. They want us all dead so that non-benders have the power." Katara felt her chest tighten.

"They can't do that. Can they?" Katara asked, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer. Zuko looked up at her, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Zuko, there's something you're not telling me," Katara said, her voice shaking, her bright blue eyes frantic. Zuko let go of her hand, looking down.

"Zuko, what aren't you telling me!" Katara nearly shouted, her voice echoing off the metal walls.

"Shhhh," Zuko said, putting his hand on her again, "Someone will here you."

"I don't care right now," Katara snapped, "What I care about is that you're hiding something from me! Now tell me or I swear-"

"Okay," Zuko said and then took a deep breath.

"Keep in mind, these are just rumors," Zuko said, "But there have been reports of benders mysteriously disappearing - mostly in small, rural villages – and their bodies being found days later with obvious signs of torture on them." Zuko watched Katara's jaw twitch slightly, her eyes wide with fear, confusion and anger.

"Why haven't I heard anything of it?" Katara said, her voice shaking, "I've been traveling with Aang all over the world and I haven't heard a word of this."

"We think they're scared," Zuko said, "That if they talk, there will be more deaths. And think about it, have you ever been anywhere more than a few days. And I doubt the Anti-Benders would try to pull anything with you and Aang around, at least now."

"So eventually, they're going to work their way up," Katara said, running a hand through her hair.

"Yes," Zuko said. Katara just shook her head.

"I can't believe this," she mumbled, "I thought with the war over…"

"One problem solved and more appear," Zuko said. Katara leaned her head onto Zuko's shoulder.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Physically and mentally," she sighed, her eyelids drooping.

"Go to sleep," Zuko said, "I'll wake you up if something happens."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, "I could stay up."

"And stare at boxes with me?" Zuko chuckled, "Sleep. You'll need your strength."

"Well only for a while," Katara said, leaning into him, "You need your rest too Zuko."

"I'll be fine," he assured her. Katara just nodded and eventually, her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. He laid back against the metal wall, trying to calm his mind.

Right now, all they could do was wait.

**There's chapter 5! I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	6. Friends on the Inside

**Thank you for the great reviews! Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been busy with finals and such. But here's chapter 6! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Katara and Zuko dozed on and off in shifts during the day, nibbling on the bit of food they had bought with them. They stayed quiet most of the time, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone who may be walking nearby and eventually, even lost track of the time passing.

"How long should it take to get to the Earth Kingdom?" Katara asked sleepily, her head resting on Zuko's shoulder.

"A day or so," Zuko said, "Depends on the weather."

"How long do you think we've been in here?" she asked. Zuko shrugged.

"Well be there soon," he said softly. He had his arm wrapped around Katara's shoulders and rubbed her arm soothingly.

"Go to sleep," he whispered, "We'll be there soon." Katara just nodded and soon her breath evened out as she went to sleep. Zuko must have dozed off at some point too because he was jerked awake when the boat suddenly stopped.

"Katara, I think we're here," Zuko whispered, nudging her. Katara was already awake though, stretching her arms as they stood.

"How do we get out of here?" Katara asked. Zuko walked over to the door of the crate, attempting and failing to open it.

"It's probably locked form the outside," Katara said, pressing a hand against the metal surface, "We'll have to wait for someone to open it…" her sentence trailed off when there was a growling noise outside.

"What is that?" Katara asked. Zuko pressed a finger to his lips, grabbing Katara's hand and leading her toward the back of the crate, behind a stack of boxes. A second later, the metal was thrown off it's hinges and Katara and Zuko shielded their eyes against he blinding sunlight. The growling as louder now, right inside the crate. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, Katara peeked around slowly to see what it was.

She caught a glimpse of the creature. A large, brown, mole-like creature that was blind, but sniffed around with an oddly shaped nose.

"A Shirshu," Zuko whispered, getting a glimpse of the creature. The Shirshu's rider was holding something blue in it's hand. Behind him rose another Shirshu and rider, this rider holding something red.

"Out clothes," Katara whispered, recognizing the items in each riders hand. She remembered June's Shirshu, how it could follow anything by scent.

"Zuko, their after us!" she whispered. There was no way they could get out, cornered by the Shirshu's and their riders. No doubt these people were the Anti-Benders, looking for them.

"I told you, they're not on this ship!" said a male voice, probably one of the sailors.

"They're here," another male voice said.

"Check the next one," said a familiar female voice, "I'll finish looking through this one." The Shirshu's paws padded out while the remaining one closed in on Zuko and Katara.

"It's me," the female whispered. She was out of view, behind a pile of boxes, but her voice was shockingly familiar.

"June?" Zuko whispered, walking toward the voice. Katara kept a vice grip on his arm.

"What if it's a trap?" she hissed.

"I'm on your side," June snapped impatiently, "Look, I don't have much time. The Anti-Benders raided the palace and have a team of Shirshu's to hunt you guys down. When they recruited me, I joined to protect you guys. I heard what happened to your friends. The Avatar and the others. What the Anti-Benders want…it's horrible." June paused for a moment, sighing, "You guys have friends on the inside of the Anti-Benders. People willing to join to protect you guys."

"What…?" Katara whispered in disbelief.

"You heard me girl," June snapped, "Now get out of here, before the others find you."

"Where are we supposed to go, we're on a boat," Zuko pointed out.

"The water," June answered, "Girl, you're a waterbender, aren't you?"

"My name is Katara," Katara said, "And yes."

"You're not far from the Earth Kingdom, maybe only a mile or so," June said, "Can you get yourself and your boyfriend out of here?"

"Yes," Katara said, "But he's not my-"

"Whatever," June said dismissively, "Hurry, I'll try to buy you guys some time." June and her Shirshu left.

"Can we trust her?" Katara asked.

"We don't have much of a choice," Zuko said. Katara huffed out a sigh.

"Then let's go," she said, grabbing Zuko's hand and leading him to the entrance of the crate.

"Do you trust me?" Katara whispered.

"Of course," Zuko answered.

"Then on three, we run as fast as we can and jump off the boat," Katara said. Zuko looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"I've got this," she said, "You said you trusted me."

"That was before you told me to jump off a boat," Zuko mumbled.

"Just do it," Katara snapped, "One…two…three…" They took off as fast as they could, heading right for the railing of the boat. There were shouts behind them.

"There they are!"

"Fire Lord Zuko!"

"And the waterbender!"

"Someone get them!"

Katara and Zuko reached the edge of the railing…and then they jumped into the icy water below.

**There's chapter 6! I hope you all liked it! Please Review!**


	7. You Can't Be Sure, Can You?

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Here's chapter 7! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The last Airbender.**

Zuko felt his hands hit cold ice and all of a sudden, he was speeding through the water. He glanced up to see Katara, bending the water around them so that they were on a piece of ice that was quickly speeding away from the ship.

"Hold on tight," was all she said, freezing his feet and her own onto the ice so they wouldn't fall. Land wasn't far, probably only a few minutes away.

Zuko remained silent, not wanting to break the extreme look of concentration on Katara's face.

"We'll need new disguises," Katara said after a while, "These are too Fire Nation. We'll stick out."

"Agreed," Zuko said, "There should be a market near the port. Can you bring us up near over there?" Zuko nodded to a low cliff, far enough away from the ports that they wouldn't be spotted and she could even make out the small figures of people, probably at a market.

"Sure," she said, but Zuko noticed the sheen of sweat that had started to form on her brow. When they reached the cliff, Katara made a wave that lifted them up and gently guided them onto the land.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked as the ice melted and he got up. Katara was on her knees, panting.

"Yeah," Katara said, "That was just…more work than I thought." Zuko bent down, brushing Katara's damp hair away from her face.

"Do you want to rest?" he asked. Katara shook her head.

"No," she said firmly, "I'm fine. Let's just…go slow." Katara rose to her feet, stumbling a bit.

"Whoa," Zuko said, rushing forward to catch her, "I'll help you." He wrapped an arm securely around Katara's waist, letting her lean most of her weight onto him. He pulled his hood up over his face to hide his scar and, slowly, they made their way into the market.

"Necklace for your lovely girlfriend?" a vendor asked Zuko. Katara's cheeks flamed red and she opened her mouth to deny it, but the vendor was already occupied with another potential shopper.

After finding new disguises, they found a small inn to stay in for the night. With not much money on them, they ordered – under false names – a room with two beds. The elderly lady behind the counter gave them an odd look as she handed them the key and told them where to find the room.

"What was with that look?" Zuko asked Katara once they were in the staircase, out of earshot of the women, "Do you think she knows who she us."

"She probably thinks we're a couple," Katara said, remembering the vendor with the necklace as she looked at the numbers on the room in search for their's, "And what kind of couple would want a room with two separate beds. Here we are." Katara pushed open the door to the room. It was small, with two beds, two dressers, a closet, bathroom and large wardrobe.

They took their respective belongings and put it in their own dressers. Zuko sat on the bed, pulling out a map he had bought at the market.

"I have somewhere we can stay with, not far from here," Zuko said, "It would be a few days journey on foot." Zuko looked up to see confusion on Katara's face.

"There are safe houses all over the world for the Fire Lord," he said, "In case…something like this was too happen. In fact, I'm sure the head of each nation has multiple places to stay in times of crisis." Katara sat down on the bed next to him, looking at the map.

"We're not far from Ba Sing Se either," Katara said. Ba Sing Se was still under the excellent rule of Zuko's Uncle Iroh.

"And from what I've gathered, the Anti-Benders are located around here," Zuko said, pointing to a place on the map.

"It would take weeks to get there on foot," Katara said softly, sadness in her voice.

"If we stop in Ba Sing Se, I'm sure Iroh could give us a quicker means of transportation," Zuko said. Katara nodded hopefully.

"Well we can buy supplies and head out tomorrow," Katara said, getting up, "For now, we should get some sleep."

* * *

Screams. That's what had made Zuko shoot up in his bed, the worse coming to mind. That the Anti-Benders were there, hade somehow found them, and had gotten Katara while he slept. But a quick sweep of the room showed that no one else was there. His eyes finally landed on Katara, twisting and turning on her bed, screaming out the names of her friends in anguish. Zuko got up, rushing to her side.

"Katara," he said, shaking her shoulder, "Katara, wake up, it's just a nightmare. Katara!" Katara shot up, her bright blue eyes darting frantically around the room before landing on Zuko. When tears sprung to her eyes, Zuko immediately took her into his arms, sitting on the bed next to her.

"What happened?" Zuko asked, "What were you dreaming about?" Katara just shook her head, a sob ripping itself from her throat.

"My friends," she whispered. Zuko assumed she must have had a nightmare about the Anti-Benders hurting her friends.

"It's okay," he said, rubbing her back soothingly, "Shhhh, it's okay. They'll be okay."

"You don't know that," Katara said quietly. And she was right. There was no way Zuko could be entirely sure that the Anti-Benders hadn't hurt or killed her friends. So he stayed silent, just stroking her hair and back, trying to calm the frightened young woman in his arms. He leaned against the headboard, Katara's head resting on his chest. Soon, her sobs died down to whimpers until her breathing even out and she fell back to sleep.

Katara's nightmares woke her up two more times that night. And both times Zuko was still there, holding her in his arms, chasing the bad dreams away.

**There's chapter 7! I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	8. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello my lovelies ^-^ I am SO sorry I haven't updated this or posted anything new in a while. Within the past month or so, my life has been pretty hectic. Between friendship drama, personal issues, two evil people that have tried to ruin my friend's life to the point that he could have been kicked out of school and me and my roommate having a fight so bad that we haven't talked (except for one argument) for about a week and she's moving out soon, my life has been a rollercoaster lately. On top of this I have schoolwork, midterms starting next week, trying to get off academic probation and working on my portfolio to get into the Creative Writing program for my school. I have new ideas, but with all this going on, I've been busy and stressed and so tired when I finally get back to my dorm that I just go straight to bed. But I promise, I will try to update this soon and post new fanfics :)**

_~MoonlightSpirit~_


	9. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE 2

**Okay, so I'm about to do something I've sworn never to do but has to be done. I'd discontinuing this fanfic. I just don't know where to go with it. I'm actually thinking of maybe revising it and taking it in a different direction. I'll keep this note up for a while, but eventually, this fanfic will be deleted. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. I'm sorry I'm ending it, but I just don't know where to go with this :(**

**But for any 'The Vampire Diaries' fans out there, I will be starting a Vampire Diaries fanfic soon :)**

**~MoonlightSpirit~**


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